BECOME A FRIENDLY LEADER

“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” ~ John 15:15

REFERENCE: 

John 15:9-17

Jesus set a new standard for leadership by calling his team members friends. Little wonder they took His message to the ends of the world after his death. The impact of His decision to become a friendly leader is still felt today. Young king Rehoboam, in one of yesterday’s texts, was advised to become a friendly leader, but as we will read later, he refused, and he paid dearly for it.

Jesus was divinity clothed with humanity. He could have chosen to remain lord and master over His disciples, but He introduced this dimension, and it became a game-changer for his’ organization.’ How did Jesus achieve this? Let us observe the intentionality of Jesus and learn from it.

1.     He Initiated the Move Towards Friendship: He said, “I call you friends!” If you wait for your team to initiate it, it won’t happen. They may consider it rude to be the ones initiating the friendship. A leader who wants to win with his team must be friendly and approachable. He must be warm and radiate positivity. His speech must not be condescending but affirming. Jesus could have continued to call them servants or proteges, but He called them friends.

2.     He Honored Them: Jesus knew that to provoke great humility from people, you confer on them great honor. He called them friends. Do you know what it means for ‘God’ to call you a friend? The disciples must have felt elated and important. After His resurrection, He further referred to them as “My brothers.” Remember that He also honored them once by washing their feet. The result? Whenever the disciples wrote their epistles, they addressed themselves as ‘Servants or Bondservants‘ of the Lord. The higher He had them in His eyes, the lower they were in their own. His honoring them birthed humility toward Him.

We will see three extra intentional steps Jesus took in building friendship in His team tomorrow. However, let me leave you with these quotes to help you become a friendly leader:

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles, but today it means getting along with people.” – Mahatma Gandhi. “Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” – Alber Camus. “There is little success where there is little laughter.” – Andrew Carnegie.

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL TEXTS:

I Kings 12:1-17 and Ephesians 6:9

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PRAYERS:

+ Lord Jesus, help me to be more like You as a leader. Please give me the grace to drop habits, styles, and patterns that I have adopted but are contrary to your nature.

+ I receive the wisdom to excel in any leadership position or opportunity.